Nexus 7 refund confusion after ASUS’ Play store ineligibility

The refund scheme for Nexus 7 buyers who bought just before Google announced price cuts has taken a confusing turn, with ASUS saying its policy does not cover hardware bought at the Play store. ASUS announced last week that Nexus 7 buyers in Europe who picked up the Android slate prior to October 29 could get a £25/€30 coupon to offset the lowered prices; however, ASUS today clarified that contrary to initial expectations, those who bought their Nexus 7 from Google through the official Play store would not be eligible.

“Just to clarify – the ASUS Nexus 7 coupon offer is not available to customers who purchased their device from the Google Play store” the company tweeted. “Apologies for any confusion caused RE: Nexus 7 Rebate. Devices sold on Google Play are completely independent of ASUS so do not qualify.”

The confusion has arisen since the ASUS coupon claim site makes no mention of the Play store limitation, saying only that the Nexus 7 must be “purchased at our physical channels and its online shops” without listing which those shops are. Instead, Google is offering its own scheme, with refunds for those who bought their tablet within fifteen days of a price cut.

Unsurprisingly, ASUS is now facing criticism from its own customers, some of which have accused the company of being lax with details so as to gather as much user data as possible, even if not every user is entitled to a refund. ASUS UK spokespeople say they believed they had made clear from the start which stores were eligible.

Either way, there’s some cash or credit in it for you if you bought just prior to the price drop, but which company will provide it will depend on where you originally purchased your tablet. You can find details on ASUS’ scheme here, while Google’s scheme is here.